From the Darkness
by Real Cute
Summary: After an attack at Genkai's temple leads to the death of both Yukina and Kuwabara, it's up to Kurama to pull Hiei out of depression and find a better life for both of them. Kurama/Hiei
1. Chapter 1

**From the Darkness**

Author: Real Cute (Vex and Kitten)

Fandom: Yu Yu Hakusho

Pairings: Kurama/Hiei, Yusuke/Keiko, mentioned Kuwabara/Yukina

Rating: M

Warnings: Character death, violence, lots of angst. In future installments, there will be rape and male pregnancy. Please be aware of that before you start reading.

Disclaimer: Kitten and Vex own nothing, we promise.

Author's Notes: We politely request no flames but we will be simply ignoring them if they are received. For a full explanation of this story's origins, please visit our profile, where it is explained in full.

**From the Darkness**

Chapter One

"To spare oneself from grief at all cost can be achieved only at the price of total detachment, which excludes the ability to experience happiness." - Erich Fromm

Right before his very eyes, he'd lost her – his twin sister.

He still remembered the look in her eyes; the way they had widened in fear, then filled with tears. Before the tears solidified into gems, she was gone. The fool, Kuwabara, had also lost his life and, though Hiei did not want to admit it, the thought saddened him.

At least he had finally died doing something useful, even though he hadn't succeeded.

That had been three days ago. The day that both Kuwabara and Yukina lost their lives. The wake had been set for two days afterward, but he didn't see the point. Their souls had already passed on – this was just a formality. Showcasing the empty carcasses. It had been Yusuke's decision to have it at the temple, as Shizuru would be the only immediate family there.

Hiei stared at the two white coffins, not wanting to think about the bodies that were inside. He clenched his fists at his sides, glaring at first the coffins, then his gaze drifted downward, to his legs. If he had been faster, he could have saved them both. It was his own weakness that resulted in their deaths.

The ironic part was he hadn't even told her who he was, yet he had still put her in danger.

He resisted the urge to punch the seat, to do _something_ to elevate the growing anger in his chest. He couldn't just _sit here_ like this and mourn. He couldn't look at those coffins knowing who was inside of them, knowing that it was _his_ fault.

"…Hey, Hiei, you alright?" Yusuke inquired, resting his hand on the little demon's shoulder. He was feeling the pain of loss too; Kuwabara was his best friend, one of the only people he'd let himself get close too other then Keiko. He felt just as shitty as everyone else but he knew that Hiei was taking it hard. And he knew that he'd just end up restraining everything and blowing up eventually if he didn't talk about it.

Then again, Hiei didn't talk much. Especially about his personal feelings.

A small growl escaped from Hiei's lips, and he slapped the detective's hand away. Didn't he understand that he didn't want to talk to anyone right now!? That he didn't _need_ comforting? He was _fine_!

Yusuke retracted his hand, and shoved it into his pockets. "Hey, man…I'm not gonna say I know exactly how you feel, but we all feel something like it. So don't sit over here by yourself and feel guilty. It's not anyone's fault they're gone."

A fire began building in his chest, and Hiei finally looked up; glaring at the detective with all of the hatred he could muster. "I don't _need_ comforting, Detective!" He spat, his eyes narrowing to slits. "They are gone. There's nothing more to it than that. I accept that."

"It doesn't sound like you do," Yusuke responded, grimly. But what else could he do? He went back to sit with Keiko and Shizuru.

"How is he?" Keiko questioned her boyfriend as he returned, not expecting a positive answer. She'd seen them talking and though she hadn't heard what they were saying, it was easy enough to tell that Hiei had reacted badly. They'd all expected as much. It wasn't as though there was any among them that didn't know how hard Hiei took this sort of thing anyway and for it to be Yukina and Kuwabara in those coffins... Well, no one was handling the situation with grace, so they could hardly expect Hiei to.

Shizuru looked up, having been resting her head against her knees, and snorted. "His aura's fluctuating like the American stock market," she muttered, glancing over at the dark demon. Her eyes were bloodshot and puffy from crying. "It's a wonder he hasn't already done something incredibly stupid."

As much as Shizuru had loved her brother, still loved her brother, she knew Hiei was hurting more than she was. Because Shizuru was just the sister who stayed at home and made popcorn for the team when they gathered at her apartment. Hiei was the warrior who fought side by side with Kazuma, Yusuke, and Kurama. Today, Hiei was saying goodbye to the little sister he'd searched for most of his life and the friend he'd seen through countless battles. And the worst part was that Hiei probably thought it was all his fault.

"...Stupid kid," the brunette woman muttered before dropping her head again.

Yusuke shook his head in response. "He's not taking it very well." He paused, pushing his un-gelled hair out of his face. He just hadn't had the will to gel it this morning. Besides, Kuwabara had always said he looked less like a punk with it down like this, so the least he could do was look nice for the wake. "Then again, who the hell is? How are you two taking it?"

It was just…hard to believe that Kuwabara and Yukina were really gone. He almost expected Kuwabara to rise out of the coffin and declare, "Psyche! I fooled you, Urameshi! I, Kazuma Kuwabara, finally beat you!" Just like at the Dark Tournament. But he was really gone this time, and he wasn't coming back.

A familiar redheaded figure stepped through the doorway, as quiet and solemn as any being could be. Yusuke looked up at the sight of Kurama; unable to bring himself to smile. Though, he did feel a little bit better – if anyone could calm Hiei down, it was Kurama. He'd never seen two demons that were closer.

--

Hiei tapped his foot restlessly, barely able to keep himself in the chair directly in the front row; nearest to the coffins. He wanted to get the hell out of there. This was more then he could stand. He could feel the other's watching him, and he knew that he wasn't himself. But he couldn't contain himself.

The familiar scent of roses and human world shampoo filled his nose as Kurama entered the small room. His muscles tensed slightly. He didn't feel like having his mind analyzed by the irritating fox at the moment.

Kurama eyed the two coffins with a heavy heart as he approached them and knelt down before them to respect the dead.

His eyes searched the room as he stood again, adjusting his black kimono as he did so. Quickly he found the one he was searching for, sitting alone in a corner as was to be expected. He approached Hiei quietly and sat down beside his partner.

"How are you?" he asked, his tone as gentle as it had ever been. To be honest, he didn't expect a truthful answer from Hiei. Without a doubt, Hiei would attempt to keep his pain hidden, even when they were all sharing a similar hurt. Kurama was deeply worried for him.

Quickly, Hiei looked down; well-aware that it would decrease his chances of being analyzed. A small growl escaped his throat. "I'm _fine_. I don't know why everyone keeps asking."

The redhead's lips curved upwards in a tiny smile at his partner's typical defiant response. "Perhaps because we are all suffering ourselves," he murmured in response. "I'm sorry if you find it tiresome, Hiei, but I'm sure I can speak for everyone here when I say that we merely wish to be certain of your well being. You have always been the wild card of the group."

Kurama looked up again and sighed as he took in the tiny group gathered for the wake. Kuwabara had friends at school but it was an impossibility to invite them here. There were too many secrets to be stumbled upon and the last thing any of them wanted now was a mess with humans involved.

"I know you are blaming yourself for this," he continued, once again turning his gaze to his smaller companion. "That is an honorable feeling but it is false. You were not the only fighter there who failed to keep them safe. If you could have done anything at all, I am certain that you would have."

If there was one thing Hiei absolutely hated, it was being coddled. He didn't _need_ to be comforted. He didn't _need_ to be told that it "wasn't his fault" when it very obviously was. He had been the closest out of the group (besides Kuwabara) to Yukina and if he had been a little bit faster, he could have made it.

He was the fastest one out of all of them – it was entirely possible that he could have made it. But he had hesitated, just for a moment. That was the only reason he hadn't been able to make it. For that split second, fear had gripped him, stopped his legs from working properly.

It was his fault that they were dead.

His fault that they were lying in those white coffins.

His jaw clenched; and his fists became even tighter. He glared at the red-head for a moment, angry that he was trying to persuade him that it wasn't his fault. "I was the closest one, Kurama. I hesitated, and they died." Death was not a foreign thing to him, but death of family members…

For a moment after Hiei spoke, there was silence. The dead, uncomfortable kind that made the air feel heavy, somehow. Kurama knew he was fighting a losing battle with Hiei. When the fire demon got something in his head, it was impossible to convince him otherwise. Truth be told, Kurama had never managed to change Hiei's mind on anything without resorting to trickery.

"Maybe that's so," the fox spoke finally. "Maybe you did hesitate when you could have saved them." A hint of gold glinted in his eyes as his expression hardened. There was a time for this foolishness but right now was not it. Right now they were all grieving for their friends. "They're dead now and you can't fix that. So what will you do?"

Kurama wasn't going to persuade Hiei of something that was untrue. Hiei _knew_ that it was his fault, and nothing the fox said was going to convince him otherwise. There was no point in trying to change his mind.

A small smirk appeared on the little demon's lips, despite the situation. At least Kurama never tried to keep that human act with him, like he did with the others. Most people would have been offended by what the red-head spoke, but he knew that it was true.

"If I knew that, I wouldn't be sitting here."

Green eyes widened in shock when it occurred to Kurama what he'd said to his obviously grieving friend. He glanced over at the others just to make sure they hadn't heard. None of them seemed to have noticed. He supposed they were too far away to hear and he was grateful for that. Yusuke, especially, would not have been pleased.

He wasn't sure how to respond to Hiei's statement. At least the demon seemed less angry now and that was definitely a step in the right direction. But it would be for nothing if steps weren't taken to make sure he progressed on his own. Hiei could not be trusted to recover on his own, plain and simple.

"Are you planning on returning to Makai now?" he questioned softly. Without Yukina here to look out for, would Hiei simply leave them? He knew the others were worrying about the same thing. It would be a very Hiei-like thing to do. In fact, he'd done it before. Only this time, it was much more dangerous for him to do so. "You could stay with one of us for a while."

The little demon's eyes narrowed slightly. Apparently, Kurama was feeling remorse for the comment said. Was he still trying to keep up his human façade for the others at the wake? Disgusting. Why was he so concerned with what the others thought of him? He was a _demon_, not one of them.

His hands clenched even tighter then before.

"And if that was what I was planning?" Hiei repeated, expression defensive and angry. He was not going to be tied down to Ningenkai any longer – especially if it was because Kurama forced him to. "I don't plan on remaining here, Kurama; there is nothing for me here."

"You know that's not true, Hiei," Kurama replied with a frown. "I don't think I need to remind you that you have friends here who would miss you, myself included. It's not my place to tell you what to do, however. I was merely offering you a place if you did choose to stay with us. It seems to me that if you feel so guilty over this, the least you could do is take your friends' feelings into account before you take off to the middle of nowhere again."

Admittedly, he was still a little bitter with Hiei for taking an opposing stance against them during the Makai Tournament. Kurama had worked carefully to stack the odds in Yusuke's favor while under Yomi's employment. It seemed to everyone that Hiei had been thinking only of his own interests when he accepted Mukuro's offer. Luckily for Hiei, Yusuke was a naïve, forgiving sort.

Hiei would never admit to anyone that he knew that he had friends – which he defined as, "people who cared if he lived, or died." But what was the point of living if there was no purpose? Could he really go back to that life of mindlessly killing, unable to occupy his time in any other way?

He could always go back and work for Mukuro, he supposed. But then he would be tied down again. He wouldn't be able to come and go as he pleased. It had been the best choice, at the time, but now he didn't need as much guidance as he did before. Now, he could go back to training on his own.

The little demon's expression darkened somewhat. His way of showing guilt, and just a bit of irritation. "If I need to take others' feelings into account, perhaps you should stop putting on that fake act, Kurama." He hissed, disappearing from his chair. A few leaves rustling were the only indication of the direction he had gone; no doubt gone to work off his frustration in Makai.

At that moment, Botan and Koenma suddenly popped into existence at the doorway. Botan already looked a complete wreck, with stray strands of hair loose from her ponytail and her face red from crying. Koenma appeared solemn – an unusual thing for him.

Botan took one look at the coffins and began softly crying anew, hiding her face in her hands. She quickly turned away from the sight, unable to bear it.

Koenma's expression was solemn; the only thing expressing his inner distress was the way he was chewing, furiously, on the pacifier in his mouth. He looked up as Hiei left, surprised, and rather annoyed. _I wonder what's up with him._

Yusuke looked up at the sign of the familiar energy moving further and further away, and for a minute, he was worried. Then, he shook his head lightly. It was _Hiei_ – he could take care of himself. After a couple of weeks, he would be back to his normal self. He glanced at the redhead, knowing that Kurama was probably taking it just as hard as Hiei was.

He stood up again, making his way over to Kurama and put a hand on his shoulder; grinning lightly, but it was more solemn then usual. "Hiei'll be okay. Just give him a while and he'll be fine."

In acknowledgment of his friend's attempt at comfort, Kurama looked up and smiled at their leader. Ever the hero, that was Yusuke. But he was wrong and that was always the problem with them all when it came to Hiei. When was Hiei ever truly okay? Kurama had always known that there was something that had scarred Hiei – or maybe a lot of somethings. Life in Makai was hard and if Hiei was Yukina's brother, that meant he'd been abandoned in it as a newborn and had somehow survived.

"I'm sure you're right, Yusuke," he replied instead of voicing his concern. "Hiei is a very strong person and he has a good heart. I only worry that he is grieving right now and will not be thinking clearly. But I doubt he'll go anywhere before the funeral, anyway."

If Hiei showed up for the funeral, Kurama would try harder to keep the little demon close, for Hiei's own safety. There was no chance of forcing Hiei to do anything he didn't want to but for Kurama, it had always been simple for him to manipulate Hiei into anything. Hopefully his comment about respecting friends' feelings had done just that and would keep Hiei around for a while, until his head had cleared.

He just hoped that was how things went because right now he didn't think any of them could face losing another person dear to them.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

**From the Darkness**  
Author: Real Cute  
Fandom: Yu Yu Hakusho  
Pairings: Kurama/Hiei, Yusuke/Keiko, mentioned Kuwabara/Yukina  
Rating: M

Warnings: Character death, violence, lots of angst. In future installments, there will be rape and male pregnancy. Please be aware of that before you start reading.

Disclaimer: Kitten and Vex own nothing, we promise.

**From The Darkness**

Chapter Two

_"A true friend never gets in your way unless you happen to be going down." - Arnold H. Glasow_

Despite what seemed like it should be an earthshaking loss, life marched on as usual for most everyone. Yusuke went back to working at the Ramen stand, Shizuru went back to her hairdressing business, Keiko went back to school, and Kurama went back to his job. And if things felt empty, somehow, without Kuwabara's sarcasm or Yukina's sweet smile, none of them really talked about it. Maybe that, in and of itself, was unhealthy.

The funeral had been as quiet as the wake. Yukina and Kuwabara were buried near the temple with simple, yet elegant, stones marking their graves. After Yusuke and Kurama shoveled the dirt over the coffins, Yusuke spoke a few words about them both. Keiko and Shizuru quietly nodded in agreement to what he said. Kurama tried to remain calm but through most of the procedure he was staring at the black clad figure at the edge of the forest who hadn't dared come any closer. When the funeral ended, Hiei disappeared back into the forest and though he tried, Kurama couldn't find him again.

That was nine days ago now and Kurama hadn't heard a word from his old partner. It wasn't unusual behavior for Hiei - the little demon was simply too feral to check in regularly, even when things were normal. Nonetheless, Kurama couldn't help wishing that he had some way of knowing about Hiei's welfare.

And then Genkai had called and provided Kurama with the answer he needed. "Come here and get this mangy fire demon out of my yard," she'd groused to him over the phone. "He's been hanging around since the funeral. If someone doesn't do something soon, the end result isn't gonna' be pretty." He knew she didn't mean that last comment as a threat. She was worried too and Genkai only ever voiced concern where it was truly needed.

He hightailed it to the temple as quickly as he could, explaining to his mother that an emergency with a friend had come up. It was the truth, even if it wasn't the whole truth, and his mother accepted it easily.

"At first, he tried to hide," Genkai explained as she led him out to the forest. "Past few days, he hasn't bothered. His energy levels are dropping like crazy. Idiot likely hasn't taken care of himself at all." She pointed to a tall tree, thick with branches. "He's up there."

Kurama looked up, trying to peer through the branches. "Hiei," he called, cupping his hands around his mouth to project his voice. "Are you up there?"

It had taken Hiei four days to decide if he was going to attend the funeral or not. He did not want another repeat of the wake – everyone quiet, solemn, and staring at the white coffins. He did not want Kurama to lecture him on "taking care of himself", either. But if he did not go to the funeral, it would be a sign of disrespect; one even he couldn't make to the deceased.

And so, the little demon had decided to attend, although, he hadn't made himself a part of the group. As long as he attended, then that was good enough. It was the last bit of respect he could show his sister, and the fool.

After the funeral, he'd tried to go to Makai – trying to find anything to distract him from the emptiness in his chest. Nothing worked, even training himself into the ground. He gazed into his tear gem long and hard, and soon afterward, he'd been forced to return to the temple.

There weren't as many birds around, he noted, as he settled himself in the tree he usually watched Yukina in. It was a bit close to the temple, but he doubted that old hag would bother him. He was aware on some level that he hadn't eaten since the wake. He also didn't care.

Nightmares plagued his dreams the moment he closed his eyes, so he had slept very little, if at all. He couldn't concentrate on anything other than finding a strong-enough branch to rest his exhausted body on. He shut his eyes; trying to relax. But his muscles were permanently tensed.

Finally, a voice cut through the fog.

_Kurama._

The sudden change in volume, unfortunately, surprised the little demon so badly that he literally fell out of the tree, landing on his back. He let out a small hiss, much like a startled cat, and slowly sat up; his gaze turning to his red-haired companion and old woman.

"What." It was said as more of a statement then a question; underlying tones of irritation quite obvious, at this point. Now that he was in the light, it was plain to see the dark-circles underneath his eyes, and the pale skin.

Kurama certainly hadn't been expecting Hiei to actually fall out of the tree. Not that Hiei was known for being an especially graceful person but usually his natural talents at least kept him balanced. And Kurama had purposefully sneaked up on him on occasion but this time he hadn't been masking his energy at all. Even asleep, Hiei was usually much harder to take by surprise.

The fox gazed down at his friend in surprise before reaching out a hand to Hiei to help him up. He didn't really expect Hiei to take it but unlike the smaller demon, common courtesy was not lost on Kurama. "Genkai said you were around," he explained. "I hadn't seen you in a few days and so I thought I would come by to see how you were doing." He left out the fact that Genkai had called him on the phone to express concern over Hiei's well being and that he'd rushed to the temple in a record time of ten minutes and thirty-five seconds.

Usually, Hiei would have sensed Kurama coming from a mile away. Right now, however, he hadn't sensed him coming at all. Instinctively, his muscles tensed further. Was he so weakened by this that he couldn't even sense a _comrade_ approaching him? Perhaps it was a good thing that he had left Makai.

A scowl twisted his lips, and he glared at the other's hand for a moment before standing up on his own. He swayed unsteadily for a moment, before he gripped the tree trunk and the fierce glare returned.

"I was in Makai; and I don't need anyone to check up on me, Kurama. I am an adult."

Genkai scoffed loudly at that, clearly amused by the statement. "Yeah and I'm a spring chicken," she replied, folding her arms across her chest. "For your information, shortie, I called him here because you've been moping around on my property like a lost puppy for days. If you don't need anyone checking up on you, what are you doing falling out of trees?"

A flush lit up Hiei's pale cheeks. Could Genkai possibly know…? No, he doubted it. His eye twitched, and he folded his arms over his chest defiantly. "I am not _moping_," He growled, lowering his eyes at the woman. "And he surprised me. That is all." He was more embarrassed by falling out of the tree then he was trying to show, though.

Kurama winced. Genkai could really dish it out when she was annoyed – one of the reasons why she was such a positive influence on all their lives, he supposed. She wasn't afraid to tell it like it was and she had the experience and wisdom to back it all up.

"I know you're capable of looking after yourself, Hiei," he tried to soothe his friend. "Genkai was merely concerned that you weren't well, so I thought I would stop by and check on you. You're looking a little pale... why don't we go up to the temple and check you over? You could have caught something."

The little demon's eyes narrowed, yet again. Caught something? Did he look _that_ bad? He would check his temperature himself, but not in front of them. "I'm _fine_, Kurama," He repeated, obviously starting to lose his patience. The glares were starting to look less-threatening, though – his eyes were slightly fogged over, his cheeks a bit flushed.

Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately), Hiei had never really been able to pull the wool over Kurama's eyes. In his defense, few people actually could. Kurama was the brains of their group, for certain, and the rest of them were the brawn. His clever fox intellect could always detect a lie.

"You don't look fine," he said simply and reached out a hand to touch Hiei's forehead. Quickly, he pulled it back, a frown on his face. "Hiei... you are abnormally warm to the touch. I think you have a fever. I insist that you come to the temple and let me make you some tea for it. It would be foolish of you to remain on your own in this condition."

Kurama was far too intelligent to be fooled, Hiei knew, but he had still tried anyway. Sometimes he wished that the fox didn't pay so much attention to him; he knew that the other knew his habits, knew his normal moods, almost like the back of his hand. That was why he could never get away with lying to him.

His eyes narrowed slightly at the touch, but he couldn't help but notice how much cooler Kurama's hand was in comparison to his skin. Perhaps he did have a fever, but that did _not_ mean that he needed someone to take care of him.

If he stood here and refused, then he would use up all of the energy he had left. If Kurama was babying him _now_, if he knew how tired he was, it would get even worse. As much as he detested it, he found himself nodding. "…Fine. But I won't stay long; I intend to go back to Makai soon." Of course, he knew that that would be suicidal. But he needed some excuse, somewhere to go, or Kurama would never leave him alone.

Kurama was both relieved and concerned when Hiei gave in so easily. If Hiei had been healthy, there was no way he would have consented to a checkup so easily. Obviously the little demon was tired and for Hiei, that was practically unheard of. Was the grief really having such a huge impact on him?

Regardless, he smiled and placed a hand on Hiei's shoulder. Even if Hiei was prickly and reclusive, they were friends and he was glad to be allowed the opportunity to care for him. "Thank you, Hiei, it will at least set my mind at ease," he murmured.

--

By the time they reached the temple, Hiei's head was beginning to swim. He would much rather be lying in his tree, relaxing, and trying to fight off whatever he had caught. It was probably a simple cold, but he wasn't in the mood to deal with something like that right now.

He was vaguely aware that he was being led to the spare bedrooms, then to a bed. He let out a small sigh as he sat down on the soft bed – he was not used to something so soft. He removed his bandanna, the little slit of the shut Jagan Eye barely able to be seen.

"Well?" He murmured, tiredly. "What does this 'check up' entail?"

"You obviously have a fever," Kurama replied worriedly. Genkai stepped into the room and pressed a thermometer into his hand before quietly leaving again. He lifted the thermometer to Hiei's lips. "Open up," he instructed, "and hold this under your tongue. Do you have any idea what your normal temperature is?"

He really didn't expect Hiei to have a clue but it couldn't hurt to ask. Unfortunately, it was going to be tricky figuring out just how high Hiei's temperature was because fire demons were weird in that area anyway and Hiei was have ice demon to boot. But he knew from touch that Hiei was much warmer than usual. On top of that, his skin was pale and clammy and his eyes were dull. Both were extremely unusual for Hiei.

Hiei stared at the ridiculous little stick for a moment in interest. What in the world could that be? It was obviously some _human_ machine, but what was its purpose? He honestly did not want to put that into his mouth without knowing what it was, but it was Kurama. More than likely, it wasn't anything dangerous.

His eyebrows went up slightly. "That measures my temperature?" He snorted. Perhaps he should melt it. Although, he doubted that he had the energy to do that at this point. "Around 38.5 celsius." Of course he knew his normal body temperature! He wasn't an idiot! He'd never been ill in front of Kurama before; unless it was a fever from being poisoned from one of their many missions. It was a bit awkward.

"Thank you," Kurama murmured, relieved that Hiei actually knew it. He waved the thermometer at him with a sigh. "Now open up so I can see how sick you are. You should have come to me if you were feeling bad, Hiei, I would have given you something to keep it from getting this far. It's probably just a cold, though. What sort of symptoms have you had? Have you felt sick to your stomach? Have you had trouble sleeping?"

Maybe he was being a bit of a mother hen but who could blame him? He was more than a little paranoid over Hiei's safety after losing two dear friends at once. It was no secret, either, that he was closest to Hiei despite the fire demon's solitary nature.

Hiei eyed the thermometer for a moment suspiciously, before he finally gave in and opened his mouth, exposing tiny fangs. He gave a light shrug at the other; obviously not able to answer if he was holding his mouth open so the other could put the stupid machine into his mouth.

Why was Kurama babying him? His eye twitched from annoyance, and he gave the other a warning look. He may have agreed to go into the temple but that did _not_ mean that he was going to go along with every single one of Kurama's unnecessary whims.

"Don't give me that look," Kurama murmured, shaking his head and he placed the thermometer in Hiei's mouth. "Hold that there, alright? When it beeps, you can take it out. Until then, don't drop it." He narrowed his eyes at Hiei to let his former partner know that he meant business. There was no way he was letting Hiei get out of at least drinking some herbal tea.

Hiei made a face – the metal tasted disgusting. His first instinct was to spit out the foreign object, but he didn't. He knew that Kurama meant business now, and he doubted that he had to keep it in for that long. That would defeat the purpose of a human-made machine; made for both speed and efficiency.

When the thermometer beeped, Kurama took it back and eyed the result. It was high, higher than he'd expected. Luckily, it wasn't quite dangerous yet but it seemed like it was likely to become worse if it wasn't treated right away. "Not good," he murmured, shaking his head. "I'll be right back, let me go get you some tea to drink. You need medicine right away. Maybe we can stop it before it gets any worse." He had a suspicion, however, that even immediate treatment wasn't going to be enough to knock the fever how. There was something not quite right here...

When the offending machine was pulled out, he resisted the urge to spit in order to get the disgusting taste out of his mouth. He eyed the thermometer, and then gave a small shrug. "It is fine, Kurama. This isn't the first time I've run a fever." The fox was blowing a little fever completely out of proportion.

"Hiei, have you been eating well?"

He immediately looked away, not wanting to answer that question. His guilt was rather obvious. If he admitted to Kurama that it had been more than a week since he'd had a proper meal, he knew the consequences would be severe.

"Hiei!" Kurama exclaimed in disbelief. He knew what it meant when Hiei didn't want to answer a question. It meant that Kurama wouldn't like the answer. In this case, Kurama was certain that the answer was nothing good. "How long has it been since you ate?" he demanded, sitting down on the bed beside his friend.

This time, Hiei really had no excuse. He hadn't remembered to eat anything, too wrapped up in what had happened lately. The thought of food at this point, after so long of depriving himself from it, was not a good one.

He hesitated. Should he answer? He did not want to be lectured, but he knew that he'd earned it this time."…A little over a week." Mukuro, when he'd seen her, had forced him to eat a meal with her. That was a day or so after the wake. He remembered that.

It was just like Hiei to do something like this but Kurama still hadn't expected it, somehow. This meant that things were worse than he'd thought. Carefully, he tried to regain his composure. "I'll make you some soup to go with your tea. I can't believe you would be so irresponsible."

The fox left the room in a flurry of red hair. It had been a long time since Hiei had irritated him this much and he'd really thought that Hiei was growing out of this sort of reckless behavior but he had apparently been wrong. And what did you do with a self-destructive fire demon who had a problem with authority? He couldn't keep Hiei close against his will but after learning that Hiei hadn't bothered to eat in over a week, he was certain he couldn't let him go off on his own again.

"Problem?" Genkai questioned when she noticed the way Kurama was violently chopping up the herbs he needed. Instead of answering, the fox calmly gathered up the chopped herbs and dropping them into the pot of boiling water he had on the stove.

"He hasn't eaten in over a week," he finally said just as calmly at he'd put the herbs in the pot but inside he was angry. "I should have expected him to do something like this but I honestly thought he was growing past this sort of behavior. He's like a child that I have to keep an eye on constantly. Which would be fine if he would just stay close by."

"Well, he _is_ a child," Genkai replied simply. "And it's your own fault you worry about him so much so don't blame it all on him. Living alone is what he knows."

Kurama supposed she was right. Hiei had never asked Kurama to look out for him – had never seemed too keen on the idea of being tended to by anyone. The fox had just taken on the task himself, somehow, and it wasn't that he didn't enjoy it. He liked being the person Hiei came to when he needed someone. But it was hard to deal with being that person when Hiei wouldn't admit to needing help.

--

Hiei had lived for most of his life alone – except for the few years that he had stayed with the thieves. Even then, he remembered he still had to capture his food, kill it, cook it, and eat it himself. Thieves taught independence from a very early age. After all, if you were on a raid, no one was going to cook for you.

Even now, he wasn't used to being around people who cared. He couldn't understand _why_ they cared. But he accepted it just the same, just so he didn't have to complain as much as he usually did. Kurama, sometimes, went a bit overboard with it.

While the fox was gone, the little demon had fallen into a slight doze. He was exhausted, obviously. The bed was a lot more comfortable then a tree, but he felt a bit…_defenseless_. He kept his katana by his side, hoping to alleviate the feeling.

The sound of Kurama's voice saying his name woke him from his slumber, and his eyes slowly opened; and he blinked a few times, watching him, almost in confusion. The movements were surprisingly child-like, but they vanished in a moment.

"Here's your soup and tea," the fox said with a sigh as he reentered the room. He sat the tray with the bowl of soup and the cup of tea down on the bedside table. "Drink the tea first; we need to get your fever down if we can." He couldn't help but smile a little when he saw Hiei wake. He hadn't realized the demon was so exhausted but it was better to wake him now anyway. If they were going to beat this fever and get Hiei back on his feet, Hiei needed to have some medicine in him.

Hiei reached out for the tea, taking a sip. Surprisingly, it warmed his body. He blinked.

"All I need is some sleep, and it will go away on its own." That was what he did when he was feeling ill; he slept it off. No one took care of him. He didn't _need_ anyone to take care of him, especially Kurama.

Any thoughts Kurama had of Hiei being adorable half asleep vanished when Hiei opened his mouth. The fox sighed and shook his head. "I'll remind you, Hiei, which of us is the more experienced," he said simply. "It will be easier for both of us if you just cooperate. You want to be well again as soon as possible, yes? Then you can go back to whatever it is you do on your own."

"Old fox," The little demon grumbled, obviously not in the best of moods at the moment. It wasn't rare for him to pick on Kurama about his age, really.

"Little kit," Kurama jabbed back but in a playful manner. It was undeniable that Hiei was much younger than he was – Kurama was, after all, over a thousand years old. If Hiei was going to pick on Kurama for being an old man, he saw no reason why he shouldn't return the favor. Genkai's earlier words came back to him. Well, he is a kid, she'd said. What did she mean by that, anyway?

Hiei couldn't help but growl at the other; not pleased with the jab about his age. Not that Kurama knew how old he _really_ was. He couldn't let him find out how old he was. He gave a light shrug of his shoulders, finished his tea, and began to work on the soup. After he'd eaten it all, he put the dish wear aside and lay back down again. "Anything else?" He groused, obviously wanting to sleep. His eyes were half-lidded.

The fox shook his head at Hiei's question. "No, now that you've eaten and gotten some liquids down, sleep is probably the best thing for you," he replied. He unfolded the blanket at the end of the bed and pulled it over the smaller demon. "Get some rest, Hiei. Hopefully your fever will break while you're sleeping."

He couldn't help but let out the yawn he had been restraining for what seemed like ages. Was he really _that_ tired? Before he knew it, he found that his eyes were closing. "…Hopefully," He murmured, in response; far too tired at this point for anything else.

The little demon drifted off to sleep with the thought of red eyes, frighteningly similar to his own.

_Yukina…_

TBC


End file.
